31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three
by J. Maria
Summary: 31 more experiments of a Halloween/Autumnal/Scary nature. Buffyverse centric, includes multi-crosses, with heavy Supernatural influences.
1. Where's the Sense in That?

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Where's the Sense in That?  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns the boys and crew.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Study habits during hunts  
Words: 325  
A/N: Because I honestly was this crazy, and I kinda wanted to keep writing each day. Also, first non-FfA addition.  
A/N2: A Prequel spin-off of the _PnC_ verse, which is also part of the_ Super Thrilled_ verse. Also, as a fun side note, I got my 11 year old nephew and 13 year old niece addicted to Supernatural (he likes the creep factor, and she likes the hot boy factor. My evil plan worked perfectly, though I was just trying to keep them from going stir-crazy when I babysat them.)

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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1. Where's the Sense in That?

Dean Winchester frowned at the group of misfits in front of him. Six punk kids who thought they could take on the evil sons of bitches that his family had been hunting for the past twenty-three years. Two scrawny emo boys, and four chicks with no muscle definition. Granted, one of them was Rona, and he'd seen her beat down a hell of a lot of demon ass the last few months she'd been riding with him, Sam, and Jo. But even they should've known not to start a screaming match in the middle of the hunt.

"I didn't tell Jo where you were hiding, and I did _not_ give Ash your passwords for the ASB, Ro!" the shorter brunette was screeching as she was flung backward by the overly hostile demon they were fighting.

"You're the only one who had the access codes, Kit!" Rona yelled back, hacking away at her opponent.

"He's a hacker, Ro! Fer chrissakes, get that through your thick skull," Bobby yelled at the two teenagers.

"Crap, that mullet-having, beer-stealing son of a bitch!" Rona yelled, bringing her axe down hard on the green throat of the demon.

"I'll hold him down by that mullet, Ro," Kit screeched as her knife gutted the demon on top of her.

"Jo, does this count as them passing their damn exam?" Bobby asked as the last demon fell under the weaker two of the group.

"Exam?" Dean blinked, more confused than he was before.

"Yeah, the ASB - Academy of Strategic Beliefs - final exam," Sam huffed out, leaning against Rona and nursing the slice on his belly.

"What kind of crap is that? A Buddhist belief?"

"No, jackass, it's with dealing with the stress of being a slayer and a first generation of new watchers," Carlos muttered, spitting out some blood from a loose tooth.

"Yeah, you'd like our motto Dean," Kit spat, helping Carlos to his feet.

"Yeah, what is it, Puddy-tat?"

"Don't die."


	2. What Can I Say to You to Shut You Up?

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: What Can I Say to You to Shut You Up?  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns the SPNverse, Gordon own the BAU  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Clowns, smacks and drunken stupidity.  
Words: 244  
A/N: Ironically another stint in Clown Fear and Dean getting his ass kicked. Part of the _PnC_ & _Super Thrilled_ universes post PnC of course. Also spoils for episode 2 of whatever season this is of _Criminal Minds_. Also, the Super Thrilled universe started in the first 31NoF series. Huh. I am so back-tracking on this whole thing.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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2. What Can I Say to You to Shut You Up?

Dean got smacked by three different hands coming at him at once. Bobby and Marcie just laughed at his pain. They were all crowded into the room the Council had shoved them into after the whole Graduation thing. The blonde with the glasses, the guy with one eye and his brother were all glaring at him.

"That is a sick and perverted joke! What kind of person puts themselves through all trouble of getting a tattoo only to mar it with that sick perverted image?" Penelope Garcia glared at the rub-on tattoo Rona and Dean had put on last night in a drunken bet.

"But Sammy freaks out whenever he sees 'em," Dean tried to joke. Which got him another slap from Rona.

"Which you failed to tell me!" Rona's eyes flicked toward Sam. Dean was so sick of the will-they-or-won't they game the two of them were playing. He wished they would just screw and get it over with already.

"Its fricken' clowns! Who's scared of stupid clowns?"

Three hands jerked up automatically. Penelope, Xander and Sam all glared at Dean. Jo and Rona crossed their arms in an eerily similar fashion. That couldn't be good at all.

"Seriously, what's so wrong about clowns?"

"They grope you at inappropriate places when you're at a vulnerable age!" Penelope spat out.

"They attack you in the scary nightmare realms of comatose little boys," Xander added.

"And the blind ones kill the parents of innocent children," Sam smirked at Dean's obvious discomfort.

"So no, there's nothing really super creepy about psychotic clowns fake-tattooed on your arms," Penelope finished.

"I'm sorry, okay? We got loaded and rubbed on some damn tattoos."


	3. Isn't Worth the Bother

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Isn't Worth the Bother  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Laurens owns the Cynsters  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Mountain Dew Amps, Time-traveling corporeal living ghosts, and a family motto  
Words: 341  
A/N: An outtake of the _THaTH_ series

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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3. Isn't Worth the Bother

A spray of orange sugary liquid squirted across the bridge of her nose. Right into her really expensive laptop that had just eaten up about 85% of her last month's savings. Kit Holburn scrambled to wipe all of it off before it sunk in too deeply and glared at the ghost boy who could have ruined her new shiny toy. With her emergency supply of her Mountain Dew Amp Relaunch.

"That is absolutely foul!" Bartholomew 'Tolly' Cynster reached for an extra paper towel and began to scrub his tongue off.

"That is manna from heaven that costs $2.30 a can and helps me keep up with a half dozen super powered baby slayers, so don't knock it," Kit snatched the can away from his hands.

"What is it?"

"It's an energy drink."

"A curative tonic? Are you ill?"

"No. It's lots and lots of caffeine that I'm not sure is really all that curative, but it gets me through the day. And if it ruins my laptop, I'm gonna make your ghost status more permanent, Cynster."

"What exactly is that?"

Tolly pointed to the half-naked actor that was acting as her current screensaver. Dawn had gotten Andrew to do some tinkering on Photoshop with the picture and it was nothing short of naughty. Tolly smirked at her, and at her blush of embarrassment.

"Do you let your impressionable young charges see such titillating images?"

"They've got even worse ones on their laptops. And they made theirs themselves. Hey! Why are you drinking my Amp, you ghost-boy!"

"Ugh, its worse than that blasted coffee of yours!" Tollys nose crinkled up in distaste.

"My Pumpkin Spice Latte that kicks ass?"

"Yes, that more foul concoction," Tolly took three more large sips before Kit managed to snatch it back and down the last of the drink.

"No more Amp for you. It's like crack for those of us completely well adjusted to it, you'd be like a five year old who ate out the entire candy store. No more crack for you ghost boy."


	4. I Did Not Care

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: I Did Not Care  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Bruckheimer owns this version of Arthur.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Remembering a whole past over the breakfast table.  
Words: 375  
A/N: Officially part of the Sarmatian Ladies and Protector of the Weak 'verse.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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4. I Did Not Care

She remembered coarse and crude remarks, and weeks of constant drinking that had been some sort of way for them to deal with the four warriors arrival at the new fortress being erected a few miles south of the wall. She remembered both of the Wolf and the Lion's steady decline. The Wolf had fallen the hardest. She had collapsed in on herself even harder than the Lion. The Lion had gotten angry and sullen and had thrown herself into her sparing with the new army Arthur was erecting just like his new keep.

And she - the Fox, Viviane - and been trying to keep a civil peace between them all. Because that's what the fox could do. She could be sly when needed, tactful when no other person could be. There were times when even the Raven's silver tongue could not solve all the problems that had broken out amongst them. And she remembered that long ago conversation.

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"And again the Lady Fox is lost in some thought that we mere soldiers -"

"Will you cease prattling on?" Viviane snapped, her irritation finally wearing thinner than ever.

"She speaks. Are we to be so blessed by the gods?" Galahad's voice grated on her every nerve.

"Not so blessed as to keep the stench of your putrid breath from my nostrils," Viviane muttered, her own diplomatic tongue was reduced to this - to insults even children could sling.

"Ah-hah, the frigid Fox -" and then he dared to drag a single finger over the curve of her cheek. A single caress that sent a shiver down her spine, one she shouldn't - didn't want. Because he was the only one of the knights that she both admired and that disgusted her. And he saw. "Not so frigid, then is she?"

"She is none of your concern."

"Pass the jam, won't you?"

She shivered, an instinct she still couldn't fight in any lifetime they shared. And she stared at him, with the morning sun streaming behind him at the horribly crowded breakfast table. Because part of him bothered her. No matter that she was now Vi instead of Viviane, and that he was Garrett instead of Galahad.

"Vi?" Garret snapped his fingers at her.

"Jam, right. I heard you the first time."


	5. Start Acting

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Start Acting  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns the boy, Rhimes owns the intern.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Can't pull any punches and still expect to win the fight.  
Words: 347  
A/N: Post season 3 of SPN, 4 of Grey's Anatomy, and post series of Buffy. Turning out to what I am sure is part one of the _Coping Mechanisms_ subset. Because if anything, the 31 series is famous for subsets.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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5. Start Acting

He was flat on his ass. Again. For the tenth time in twenty minutes. The red-head wasn't even breathing heavily. She crossed her arms and looked down at him. An uncharacteristic smirk crossed her lips as she started to taunt him.

"Oh, did big awkward part-demon boy get hurt by a petite slender girl-child?" Vi stretched out a hand to help him up.

Sam Winchester's jaw tightened as he pushed himself up off the floor and squared off with her again. It was less than thirty seconds before he was flat on his back again, staring up at the ceiling.

"You need to get over this, Sam," Vi offered her hand out to him again. Again he didn't take it.

He lasted two minutes before he was down again. She didn't bother to hold out her hand to him, and he didn't bother to even get up. Vi sighed as she laid down next to him on the training mat they'd been using. Sam rolled his eyes over to her, daring her to speak.

"You're better than this, Sam. I know how good of a hunter you were, and I know Ruby doesn't want you here with me, but she needs you. She ran away from her training, Sam, and she's really kind of alone right now. Demons don't pull punches just because the fighter in question is a girl. She needs someone who won't pull a punch for her either, the right kind of someone to train her," Vi rolled to her side and nudged him. "She doesn't want to trust me, fine. She doesn't want to trust Andrew or Dawn, fine. But she needs a watcher to help her adjust and you need a cause to fight for, Sam. Which means when you spar with me, you can't pull punches, because I'm training you how to save her life."

Vi pushed herself to her feet and stared down at him, hand extended to him. Sam took it this time. Vi's face split into a happy smile.

"About time you started acting like a watcher, Winchester."


	6. Without Saying Goodbye to Yesterday

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Without Saying Goodbye to Yesterday  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Rhimes owns the interns.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Slayer dreams  
Words: 367  
A/N: If you squint at the timelines, they make sense. Seasons 1-3 were supposedly one year (two at the most). So this is maybe like 2006? Whatever, I'm making it make sense. Part two of the _Coping Mechanisms_ subset.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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6. Without Saying Goodbye to Yesterday

It was the first dream she remembered - like really remembered about this new life she had stumbled into. One that included a dead mother, an alcoholic father, one sister too wrapped up in her new baby and deployed husband, and the other sister that hated her guts. That oh-so happy life that included her struggling year as a surgical intern at Seattle Grace Hospital where she had few friends and an unhappy living situation. And on top of that, Lexie Gray was having bad dreams about more people she couldn't save from dying. Like this one.

Lexie was standing in a library, at least she thought it was a library. Honestly, it could have been anywhere that had a counter and some books. It could have even been a hospital, but she couldn't really tell. That wasn't the defining point of the room though. It was the girl in a leather jacket with her hair pulled back. The girl swayed on the tips of her toes, and suddenly blood was spilling from her throat.

Lexie rushed forward, her hands whisping through the girl's body as she tried to apply pressure to stop the bleeding before -

"I bled out. I could not be saved," a voice whispered over her, the girl and the room disappearing as she turned around to face the voice.

It was the same girl, only she was dressed in a white glowing gown that left one shoulder bare. Her hair fell around her shoulders in gentle waves. Lexie stared at her.

"You're carotid artery just blew and -"

"It was pierced by a vampires claws, it did not blow."

"Vampires -"

"Are what you and I were born to destroy, Lexie Grey. I died. You are still alive to learn from my mistakes."

"How - I'm not - I can't kill - I - I took an oath."

"To save lives. Killing monsters would not be so different. You would be saving their victims. Innocent lives at risk, Lexie. And you are not as alone as I was. Not just one girl in all the world."

"Who are you?"

"I am Kendra, the Vampire Slayer. I was what you now are."


	7. Do It Myself

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Do It Myself  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Davies owns Torchwood  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Vi and the art of doing it oneself.  
Words: 323  
A/N: Set in the _PnC_ verse, prior to the whole ceremony.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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7. Do It Myself

"If you don't back down right now, I'm gonna hit you, Ianto Jones," Vi glowered at him.

"You're not," Ianto gave her that knowing look she was coming to hate.

"Okay, I'm not, but I want that file!" Vi tried to snatch the disc from him again, but he held it even higher. Which was pissing her off. "Okay, stop being freakishly tall and on a higher step, because you're gonna fall and I'm not gonna even try to save you with my superhuman reflexes and strength. Nope, I'm just gonna let you writhe in pain on the floor and let Owen mock and belittle you."

"I'm not going to let you have the file."

"Oh, come on! Everyone else has already seen it! I just want one, teensy weensy peek!"

"You really don't want to see it, Vi," Ianto sighed, handing it to her reluctantly.

"Ha! Shows you what you know!" Vi grinned happily, dancing in a little circle before hopping over to the nearest computer.

She popped the disc in and waited on pins and needles to see the infamous video. What she saw was a box with a big white rat. And then a fine, pink mist. And then blam! Rat Jam.

"Ohmigod, that was disgusting! What the hell was that?" Vi looked up in avid horror at Ianto, who only frowned.

"The Rat Jam video you were mad about seeing."

"I wanted to see the 'Gwen makes out with a girl, who conks Owen out and gets him naked' video so I could point and laugh. Not a cute white rat exploding!"

"Who told you it was on that disc?"

"Owen!"

"Jack's got that file in his personal collection, I'm afraid."

"Of course the pervy skeeve does! Hey, Ianto, wanna see if Owen can splint his own arm?"

"Why would he need to do that?" Ianto frowned as she turned to race down to the Hub.

"Cause I'm gonna break it for making me watch the Poor Rat Jam video!"


	8. PC Lives

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: PC Lives  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Gordon owns Criminal Minds  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Profiling and boy drooling.  
Words: 357  
A/N: Okay, I love Reid and Morgan and Garcia. They seriously make the show. Now that Gideon's gone, I live for the Morgan/Garcia interaction. Plus Nicholas Brendon was on there being the male form of early seasons Willow, and the guy who played Graham as a homicidal maniac!

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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8. PC Lives

"Huh. I thought he'd be taller," a blonde woman frowned up at the agent standing behind the glass.

"But he's smokin', damn, B," the dark haired woman smirked at her.

"Are we looking at the same guy, Faith?"

"Tall, dark and saddle him up?" Faith practically purred. Honestly it was disturbing.

"No. Although, your taste is definitely improving," B answered, nodding over to the older man standing across from the agent Faith obviously wanted to gobble up.

"Oh, the book dude. Never cared."

"Understatement of the century. He's the guy were meeting with, him and this agent Hotchner."

"So McHot Dammn ain't in on it? That just sucks."

"Okay, no more _Grey's Anatomy_ for you."

"Whatever, its stuck on the damn TiVo and D won't let me delete it. So why are we meeting with them?"

"I don't know why, but Giles says we have to."

"I think it has something to do with a outstanding case file both Agent Hotchner and Agent Rossi have that concerns a person you know," Spencer Reid said, interrupting their conversation.

Both women turn around and looked slightly embarrassed. They exchanged a look before speaking again. Luckily, they were saved by Rossi and Hotch. Reid just gave them a small - probably reassuring smile before walking off to join Morgan and Prentiss.

"Who are they?" Prentiss asked, leaning across the desk and trying to look nonchalant.

"The dark haired one, Faith, orignates from the east coast, Boston most likely. High school dropout or at most she barely graduated. She is the subordinate to B, and is younger. Highly sexualized, probably relates it to coping with clear abandonment issues and the want of a father figure she needs to replace her own inadequate father. And she thinks Morgan's smokin. B, while being the dominant in their relationship, also follows a man named Giles who is their joint authority figure. Most likely a teacher of some sort that they look up to as - well, a father figure."

"Uh, I meant in general, Reid. As in names?" Prentiss smiled gently at him.

"Oh, uh, Rossi and Hotch have a file for them to look over."


	9. Burst Into a Thousand Pieces

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Burst Into a Thousand Pieces  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Rhimes owns the interns/residents, Kripke owns the boys.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Slaying In mixed company.  
Words: 285  
A/N: Set between the events of season 3 and 4 of SPN and early 4 of GA. Part of _Coping Mechanisms_.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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9. Burst Into a Thousand Pieces

"Does it always happen like that? The whole bursting into dust like that because if it is -"

"What the hell was that, Lexie?"

The dark haired woman glanced up nervously at the red-haired woman and tall, dark haired man behind her. The blonde in scrubs was looking at her in a mix of horror and denial. Thankfully, she was alone and not in the company of her interns or her friends. For a change.

"Lexie?" Sam Winchester poked her, trying to get her to stop flapping her mouth open and from making that groaning gasping sound.

"Think of something, Lexie!" Vi hissed.

"Trick of light!" Lexie finally gasped out, looking frantically around. "It was really nothing, Meredith!"

"That guy bursting into a thousand dust like pieces was a trick of the light?"

"It was Sam playing a joke with a paper blow-up doll!" Lexie blurted out.

"Hey!" Sam's eyes widened in annoyance.

"A three hundred pound male blow up doll?" Meredith quirked an eyebrow at them.

"Sam's studying to be a magician! Power of illusion and all," Vi added, smiling at the absurdity of this ploy. No way she'd fall for it. "And he happens to fancy a specific body type.

"And what are you?"

"I'm his plucky assistant, sans my glittery-glitzy outfit. You would not believe the stains that get on that thing. This guy, complete klutz," Vi smiled harder.

"Hey!" Sam elbowed her in the side. Vi politely stepped onto his foot.

"I think I hear Bailey paging you, Meredith," Lexie blurted out, trying to get rid of her.

"Crap!"

Sam waited a minute before she was gone to speak.

"Who was that?"

"My half-sister who hates me," Lexie muttered sadly.

"And a paper blow up doll? Do I look that desperate?"

"Yes," Vi and Lexie said at the same time.


	10. Hold You When You're Falling Apart

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Hold You When Youre Falling Apart  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Disney owns HSM, Thomas owns VM, Kripke owns SPN  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Mini dilemmas and pals to help cope with it.  
Words: 430  
A/N: Because we got the HSM3 dolls in at work. Enough said. Part of the _PnC_ verse.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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10. Hold You When Youre Falling Apart

It had been one full year that they'd been away from the rest of the Wildcats. One full year of exploring the great big world out there that had nothing to do with Troy, Gabriella, Chad, Taylor or Sharpay. One full year of no basketball, spring musicale or science decathlons. It was actually kind of refreshing. Zeke had perked up the Hearst cafeteria menu, Kelsi had gotten a technician job at the radio station, Ryan had becoming the assistant coregrapher for the Hearst Dance team, and Martha had headed up the new hip-hop dance team. And then somehow, they'd all gotten roped into helping out at the graduation ceremony.

And had found themselves battling a horde of demons. Along with a dozen other unwilling bystanders, they found themselves roped into the ASB. They were now two years gone from East High and the Wildcats. One full year of training in the ASB program, their second year of college. And then the invitation to a wedding back in their hometown had come. The four stood outside the chapel, looking wary.

"We really shouldn't have come back," Martha whispered, leaning against Ryan supportively.

"We had to come," Kelsi sighed, glancing nervously up at Zeke. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why shouldn't I be?"

"Because my stupid sister is marrying stupid Jason?" Ryan muttered darkly. "Honestly, what did you ever see in him, Kelsi?"

"He was cute and he called me playmaker," Kelsi snapped. "I was sixteen, it was cute."

"Well, she's no prize, either," Martha added, noticing the glares she was getting from both of the boys. "Oh, come on! Sharpay is a prima donna. She walked over both of you!"

"She's blood," Ryan muttered defensively.

"And she's marrying Jason," Kelsi sighed.

"Oh my god, you four are completely driving me nuts with all of this whining," Kit snapped, pushing past the four of them. "Its a wedding. I am wearing a hot dress that Miss Sharpay-Broke-My-Heart will envy and I'm gonna be on your arm, Zeke. And you've got none other than the infamous Logan Echolls on your arm, Kelsi. So both of you snap out of it."

"The boss lady does have a point," Logan smirked at Kelsi. "We're stylish and impressive. We're the best revenge has to offer."

And indeed, all of the Wildcats were impressed. The playmaker, the chef, the hip-hop girl and the brother showed up at Sharpay and Jason's wedding and utterly stole the show. And they had fun doing it. All because one year ago, they were in the wrong place at the right time to become part of a new team.


	11. Do You Wish You Were Here?

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Do You Wish You Were Here?  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns SPN  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Two mothers converse.  
Words: 372  
A/N: Similarish to a plot Im working on for a 23 for 23 story (and yes, I do plan to finish those before my 24th birthday in less than 9 weeks) Spoilers for 4x03: In the Beginning of SPN.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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11. Do You Wish You Were Here?

She didn't deserve this place of peace. Not after all that she'd done. But she didn't get much of a say in that matter. She stood arm in arm with the older woman as she watched their children and their friends.

"One out of four parents attended and he wasn't even there for more than a half an hour, it's a damn shame," Ellen Harvelle huffed at the nodding Bobby Singer, who was taking a shot at the hotel bar. She had to agree with the two hunters.

"Stupid idgit that he is, had to pry his damn cell phone out of his hands during the ceremony," Bobby grunted.

"He's been outta practice as a pops for damn near ten years, Big B, cut him some slack," Faith grinned playfully at him, sneaking the shot away from him.

"Girl, you best get me a new drink," Bobby grunted, staring her down.

"Aww, Bobby, you know just how to woo a girl."

"Didn't know you knew the meaning of the word woo," Jo Harvelle muttered, joining her mother.

"Ellen, get your bitch-child spawn in control, please?" Faith snapped, popping her knuckles. "Jealousy really looks like shit on you, Jo-baby."

"Care to run that by me again, trailer trash?"

"Bitch, I'm white trash if I'm anything, but I sure as hell ain't trailer trash," Faith pushed herself up off the stool.

Ellen quickly pulled Jo out of harms way while Bobby blocked Faith's path. He was murmuring in low voice, calming her down before she did something she really regretted. Above the scene She and her companion watched amusedly.

"Remind me again why I'm sad that I'm missing Dean and Dawn's wedding?" Mary Winchester's spirit asked quietly.

"Because you would be in there in a heart beat, breaking up Faith and Jo's catfight in a heartbeat if you could. Its your boy's day, and you'd be damned if you let the mother of your first grandchild get in a pissing contest with your old hunting buddy's daughter," Joyce Summers spirit sighed. Her gaze flicked over to her ex-husband who was arguing quietly with her oldest daughter Buffy. "Just like I'd be kicking Hank's ass for that phone of his going off during the vows."


	12. Only Human

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Only Human  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Zev Berman owns Borderland, mention of Kripkes verse.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Ghosts chat over their deaths.  
Words: 696  
A/N: SPOILERS FOR BORDERLAND! Because one of the bright spots of my weekend had to do with me getting the last four of the 2008 8 Films to Die For. Including Borderland, which the opening ten minutes actually scared me. I had to stop the movie and leave the room. That does not happen to me often: read nearly never. I love horror movies and they do not scare me. But that imageugh.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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12. Only Human

Cassie Newton stared in utter horror when she saw what had happened to them. Not by monsters but by normal, human people. And not one of them deserved it. The two men stared at her with glassy eyes, trapped in their minds and the cycles of their deaths. When they crossed over to this - well, waiting place, they still bore the wounds that had killed them. It was horrific. Henry had slipped through first, his body hacked apart by dozens of wounds. Hours later, Phillip had followed, with far fewer but just as awful wounds. Neither had wanted to speak, and had opted for tears of terror.

"I know it doesn't really help with anything, but they can't hurt you anymore, guys," Cassie had whispered fervently over the hours of disjointed silence that had met her pleas.

She spent hours running her hands over the ghost wounds, taking the reminders of their ugly and brutal deaths from them. They were good-looking boys, and truthfully thats all they'd gotten a chance to be - boys. Not that she was anyone to talk - she'd only been a sophomore when she'd died.

Philip had been easier to pull out of the snare of his death. He didn't want to die, but he had accepted it easier than Henry. Henry had been a hysterical mess for five days. She'd had to go all Moonstruck on him and slap him to snap him out of it. And nearly every word out of his mouth had been vile and crude. Philip hadn't stuck around long in the lingering place, and she hadn't thought he would. There was a goodness around him that had pulled him through the darkest hours of his mortal life. But Henry had been stuck in that dark place with her. His death hadn't meant anything.

"Hey, could you cut out the foul language? I may not look like much, but I'm still a lady, dammit," Cassie had huffed after a particularly vile expletive had left his mouth.

"I'm dead, hacked to pieces by goddamned crazy Mexicans and you're gonna be a little bitch to me about my fucking language?" Henry hollered, getting right up in her face.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"No, I'm not. I get that you're a seriously malcontent spirit over the fact that its not fair you're dead, but you keep going down this road and some hunter is gonna end up salting and burning your bones, Henry," Cassie said as calmly as she could.

"What are you babbling on about, girl?" Henry spat. "You don't know the first thing that happened to me, so I've got right to be pissed."

"Because you were killed for no reason? Open up your eyes, Henry. Phil died for no good reason, I died for no good reason, lots of people die for no reason. You fought it. You didn't give up. You were outnumbered by a bunch of crazy cultists. Your death gave Ed a reason to fight back and bring them down. No one else is gonna die by their hands. So if you look at it that way, you did die for a reason. A greater cause. Does that make it any better?"

"Not really."

"I didn't think it would. Victims of ritual sacrifice usually don't like finding reason in their deaths. It makes them sad and angry and uncontrollable," Cassie sighed, gently taking his hand in hers. He stared at it like it was completely foreign to him. "And it leaves them open to some pretty nasty stuff."

"How would you know?"

"Because I was supposed to be one. Except someone tried to save me, and she did. She stopped them from sacrificing me to a demon."

"She did a pretty shitty job, if you're stuck here counseling me."

"I was meant to die, either by the knife slitting my throat, the arrow meant for anyone who tried to save me, or the heart condition my mother never told me about. I was meant to die, just like you were meant to die."

"Why?"

"I don't know yet. What do you say we try and figure that out?"


	13. The Question With Answers Only Dead Men

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: The Question With An Answer Only Dead Men Know  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Bruckheimer and Disney own PotC  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Pirates and their booty.  
Words: 258  
A/N: Set in the _Pintel and Ragetti, Kraken Slayers_ verse.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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13. The Question With An Answer Only Dead Men Know

"Summers, I swear to the gods, if you do not get the pervy pirates to stop stealing my shit, I'm gonna run em through!" Kit screeched, as she thundered into the room they'd stowed the two 1700s pirates into after detoxing and delousing them. One of the said pervy pirates came storming in after her.

"We ain't stole nothin, poppet!" Pintel growled, his bad teeth flashing at her.

"Double negative, jackass, you basically said you did. And I found you sniffing around in my dresser!" Kit snapped back, waging a scrap of white and silver cotton in his face.

Dawn looked up from where she was helping Ragetti put his new prosthetic and hygienic eye in. Her face scrunched up in horror as Dawn recognized the skull and cross bones panties Kit had bought weeks ago. Pintel only had a stupid looking leer on his face.

"Oh, that is so gross! You're old enough to be her grandfather!" Dawn shuddered, turning back to help out Ragetti.

"I'm only forty!"

"Really?"

"Seriously, disgusting man."

"Well, then don't mark your knickers with the colors, poppet," Pintel muttered, stomping off.

"Just because they cover my booty, doesn't me you can touch it, pirate!" Kit yelled after him. Dawn and Ragetti snickered at her, so she sent her glare at them. "What are you laughing at, Eyeboy?"

"Nothing."

"Honestly, I like the dashing pirate captains in the romance novels over these clowns, Summers. Why couldn't you reward one of them?"

"Because the dashing ones didn't free the fricken goddess, Kit."

"Stupid pirates."


	14. With Only Subtle Turns

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: With Only Subtle Turns  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Minkoff owns The Forbidden Kingdom.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: A Kung Fu boy from South Boston meets a slayer from South Boston.  
Words: 346  
A/N: I liked the movie, and as soon as I realized he's from Boston, I thought: well, he'd know about Faith.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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14. With Only Subtle Turns

There was a strange woman in Lu Yans Pawn Shop. Her dark hair hung around her face in soft waves giving her a look of delicateness, but her face and her stance made her look lethal. And if she was hanging around Lu Yan, then she probably was. Lu Yan drew lethal warrior women to him. She straightened the second she saw him, her arms crossing as she gave him the once over.

"Yo, Hop, this the little upstart that took Lupo out?" She called back to the old man.

"Yeah, that's the kung-fu boy," Hop nodded, coming out of the back room, looking more like Lu Yan today than like Hop.

"What's your name, kung-fu boy?" the woman asked, walking closer to him.

"Jason Tripitikas."

"I'm Faith -"

"Lehane, but she doesn't honor her family name," Hop's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Ain't no damn honor in the family that spawned my little dipshit cousin, Lupo," Faith snorted.

"Lupo's your cousin?" Jason swallowed thickly. "I - uh, he um -"

"Shot Hop like a little bitch after he broke into the shop, and then bullied the wrong guy in the wrong back alley? Lupo deserved to get his ass beat down, yo. Just a shame I didn't get to do the beating."

"I - uh, did what I had to?"

"And apparently, you kicked some immortal ass to boot, but Hop here's being all tight mouthed about it," Faith grinned at their shocked looks. She pulled a card out of her pocket and tossed it on the counter. "Call me if you ever need help keeping the punks in their places. And if you ever need a job, I know a few girls who could use a bit of training in the kung-fu department. Could use some help with the little brats."

Her cell phone blipped. She flipped it open, checked her message and snapped it shut again. She winked at Hop before pushing off of the counter.

"Think about it, boys. I gotta go beat the shit outta Lupo for good measure. Little shit fears me."


	15. They'll Never Allow Me to Change

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Theyll Never Allow Me to Change  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Lynn Viehl owns the Darkyn.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Growing powers, parsley scents and pellet guns.  
Words: 291  
A/N: part of the _Close Encounters of the Darkyn _subset. I just finished the latest book, but the parts included only have to deal with events up to Night Lost (book 4). I really didn't think I'd like the series as much as I did, books 2 (Private Demon) and 5 (Evermore) being my favorites so far.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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15. They'll Never Allow Me to Change

It was the fifth time in a row that the overpowering smell of parsley woke her up out of a dead sleep. And she didn't get a whole lot of sleep these days. Her power - the power she wasn't supposed to have - was growing. It was getting stronger, and it shouldn't be. The ritual up on the crazy people tower was supposed to drain her of any potential. No psychotic goddesses were going to come after her anymore. She already retreated from the Council, pulled far away from all of her friends and family because of the fear that started to build up around the 'what if' questions.

So she'd run, just like Buffy had. Just like her father had years ago. Because running was a strong pull. Because it was the first time in her life, it was really something she was able to do successfully.

But running didn't banish all of the fears and doubts and nightmare creatures that pulled at her mind. Not the damned smell of parsley and the pull to run to something instead of away from it. And then she saw the figure lurking in the trees, the figure and smell that was pulling on her to run. The fear overpowered her, and she grabbed the pellet gun shed bought at one of those big all-in-one stores and fired at him. She barely noticed that hed turned to leave, that she'd shot him in the back. Dawn Summers had just cowardly shot some poor lonely person in the back. It made her heart hurt a little, because as much as she wanted to drive the man in the shadows away, she had wanted to pull him closer and not be lonely anymore.


	16. Label All the Dreamers Fools

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Label All the Dreamers Fools  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, JK owns HP  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: The first of the guest lecturers.  
Words: 491  
A/N: Because I have not written crossover with HP for so very long. Odd, seeing as it was one of the very first I starting writing and reading in so very long ago. _Guest Lecturer_ subset.

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31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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16. Label All the Dreamers Fools

Kit, Carlos, and Dawn were all ecstatic that the Council had convinced actual witches and wizards that had graduated from Hogwarts to teach them various knowledgeable things. It was kinda heady to see the real life versions of the book characters they had loved and hated. So had a few of the other Watchers and Slayers that had crowded into one of the lecture halls in the Watchers Academy. Dawn had texted Rona and Vi to tell them - okay, to rub it in that they were stuck on Hellmouth, Cleveland duty and that she got to meet real life Potterverse people.

"Who's on the schedule today?" Carlos asked, barely awake from a cram session he'd pulled off for a quiz in his morning class.

"Um, Professor - holy crap - Looney Lovegood!" Kits eyes widened as she read the packet they'd all been given last week by Giles and Willow.

"No fricken way! Did you read the latest issue of the _Quibbler_? Her editorial was - it was so grown up!" Dawn sighed.

"She's not gonna be exactly like the books, guys. Isn't that what this special lecture class is supposed to teach us?" Carlos shrugged, leaning back in his seat.

"I know she's not just like the book, but for gods sake, its the Luna Lovegood! She was always my favorite!" Kit sighed, leaning forward on the desk.

"She reminded me a bit of Drusilla. Except for the bloodsucking."

"What inspiring endearments," a strong, clear not-at-all like they were expecting voice came from behind them.

The three younger watchers spun around in their chairs, looking up guiltily at the slightly older woman behind them. Her long blonde hair was thick and curly and fell in soft waves around her heart shaped face. A pair of thin wire rimmed glasses were perched on her nose and a cluttered stack of papers and binders were clutched to her chest. All three gaped at her with varying degrees of embarrassment and disbelief.

"I haven't heard myself called Looney since my fourth year. Thank you, it's rather quaint," Professor Lovegood smiled softly at them. "Please don't refer to me as that in front of the other students, and I'll refrain from making you all share your first forays into the magical community, or the supernatural. Headmaster Giles was so very keen to share these marvelous stories with me firsthand. Level the playing diamond."

"Huh?" Carlos asked, leaning back.

"Playing field," Kit corrected absently, completely awed by her favorite literary character.

"Thank you, Miss Holburn."

"No problem, Professor Lovegood," a grin broke out on her face. She looked ready to squeal with excitement. "I always wanted to say that to somebody!"

"Oh, it's not Lovegood anymore, not technically."

"Oh, right, Scamander? The grandson of the guy who wrote Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find Them?" Dawn frowned in concentration.

"Certainly not, but I will have to tell him what that silly cow's written about us now!"


	17. A Nameless Face I Think I See

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: A Nameless Face I Think I See  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Lynn Viehl owns the Darkyn  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Flipside of an encounter.  
Words: 426  
A/N: part of the _Close Encounters_ subset.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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17. A Nameless Face I Think I See

The lack of scent coming from the small hidden cabin the woods confused him. Faint whispers of cool green color and hints of warmed vanilla had beckoned Arnaud Evareaux to her. He had watched her for several nights, the tall lithe woman with flowing chestnut hair. She wrote, and painted startling images on dozens of canvases. Paint splattered her tight white t-shirt and the faded blue jeans that clung to her long, supple legs.

Arnaud breathed in that drifting scent of hers. His _dents acé ré es _ached for a taste of this sweet nubile woman, and not just for her blood. Every night, as if sensing his unholy presence in the thickening darkness, she emerged - her eyes wary and her hand clutching the gun in her hands. She'd shot him once already, which had lead to the torturous treatment at Dr. Alexandra Keller's hands. As painful as her questioning had been, he still risked it by coming to see this woman who hid in the cabin. He could not speak to her, could not bother her with his obsession more than he already was. So he watched, drawn to her like a moth to the flame. He sighed deeply, his steps nearing his self-made boundary line at the edge of trees.

He had worn the ground bare, and that in itself should have been a sign for him to cease this - stalking. But the flickering scent and color of her, the heat and potential of her drew him back again and again. He rested his shoulders against the harsh and rough bark of the tree he now lurked under.

His eyes caught sight of the small white canvas nestled in the low branches. A frown crossed his lips as he stretched up to take it. Brushed across the canvas was a landscape of this very spot as it must have looked from her porch. A dark haired woman reached out to the male figure as he pulled back into the wood, becoming more shadow than form. A small note was attached by a safety pin. His fingers trembled as he opened it.

_I'm sorry I shot at you. I'm normally not so jumpy. I just wasn't expecting to see anyone out there. I'm still getting used to the quiet. I hope you can accept this as a peace offering, if you should pass through here again._

_Sincerely, Dawn Summers_

Arnaud did not go back for several more days, spending the time secluded in his home. His eyes never leaving the haunting art of Mademoiselle Summers.


	18. Alone With All Your Secrets and Regrets

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Alone With All Your Secrets and Regrets  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns SPN  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Secret lives of the multiverses  
Words: 401  
A/N: _I Fought the Law_ subset. Also, I vaguely remember that Kate was only around for the first (maybe the second?) season of Angel. I just happened to be going through an old tape that had Buffy, Angel, Charmed and Dawson's Creek episodes on it and ended up re-watching _Prodigal_. Which made me think of Kate, which had me scrambling for season one of Angel in my TVDs. And then I thought about Supernatural (more like watching season 3 again). Which places events in this story in roughly 2001/2002, about six years before season 2 of Supernatural.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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18. Alone With All Your Secrets and Regrets

After her father died and Kate Lockley had gotten the hell out of L.A., she'd found herself holed up in the last place her father had ever wanted her to be. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, pushing herself up off the dingy cot in the backroom of Harvelle's. She glared at the teenaged girl glaring down at her.

"About time you got your lazy ass up," Jo huffed.

"Did anyone ever tell you you're one mouthy little bitch?" Kate muttered.

"Just about every hunter Mom gets in here," Jo answered, turning away from her.

"Must be some family trait of ours," the older blonde sighed, swinging her feet off the bed. She was halfway out the door and into the bar proper when Jo came back with a saucy reply.

"Nah, I heard your Mom was all sweetness and light -"

"Hell, Jo, if that had been so, Caroline would have never taken up with Lockley," her Aunt Ellen muttered, wiping her hands on a bar towel. She had that disgusted and sad look on her face that she had whenever Kate's mother was brought into the conversation.

"My mother -"

"Had a wild streak in her, and a damn rebellious nature. She left the family for your dad, and it killed her."

"She was sick," Kate shouted, getting a glare from the two women who were so identical.

"Yeah, but she always knew she was gonna get sick."

"What?"

"My sister was headstrong and stubborn, so when that - that psychic told her she wasn't gonna live to see thirty she fought it. She ran off, trying to run away from her own death. And your daddy was just a reckless means of escape," Ellen said quietly.

"He loved her."

"Yeah, but he was the type to only have just enough love for one other person."

It hurt, that bit of knowledge. She knew it was true, that her father had gone cold and hard after her mother's death. There was no room in his life or in his heart for a scared, lonely little girl. She had always known that. It didn't make him a bad person, it made him human. And she still loved him. But her aunt was right.

"Both of you've got places to be, so you better haul ass," Ellen sighed. "Think you can drop her off at school on your way to the station?"

"Yeah, I've got time."


	19. When You Only Have Barely Enough

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: When You Only Have Barely Enough  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, and he owns the Firefly verse.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: A wave in the dark.  
Words: 301  
A/N: first part of the _River Tam Meets the Buffyverse_ subset.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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19. When You Only Have Barely Enough

Months had passed since the mess that was Miranda. Almost all of the Reavers had been exterminated, most by her hand alone. The Operative had slipped off the face of this earth, leaving River Tam and her family alone if not at peace. She stared out at the sky, the vast nothingness of space and yearned for a life she could not remember. Mal still did not fully trust her to fly by herself while the crew slept, which was why Kaylee was curled up on the passenger seat asleep.

There was a steady beep as a wave came in. It was marked for Mal, but River flipped it open and viewed the message any way. A pretty young woman grinned across the screen.

"Reynolds, you freak of nature! What the hell did you do to piss off the gods _this_ time? Look, me and my _hundan_ of a co-pilot heard through the grapevine that you could use a bit of work. So, hit us back, ya lazy bum!"

River replayed the wave again, something in the woman's face and words nagged at her. Hours later, after watching the same wave over and over again, Mal finally came up to send Kaylee and River to bed. Kaylee had shuffled off to her bunk, smiling sleepily at her captain. River paused at the doorway, watching as Mal watched the wave from the Jenkin's pilot and captain. A knowing smile curved on her lips.

"Angel summers and destroyed keys, brought back to the big damn hero," River murmured as she breezed past the confused mercenary who was stumbling to his bunk from the hold. "He shall see but not touch."

"Whatcha babbling on about now, moon brain?" Jayne muttered.

"Captain got a wave from the Jenkin's brat and her love. Keys destroyed and Summers angel."


	20. There's a Couple of Things Get Lost

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Theres a Couple of Things Get Lost  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, JK owns HP  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Couple-y lectures  
Words: 367  
A/N: part of the _Guest Lecturer_ set.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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20. There's a Couple of Things Get Lost

The second week of the special lecture series brought a tall handsome caramel skinned man with a faint scar around his left wrist into the lecture hall. A petite woman with short spiky blonde hair and black work robes came in with him. Dawn and Kit argued quietly amongst themselves while Carlos shook his head.

"You two better shut up. It's this crap that made Willow snatch back the schedule of lecturers away from us in the first place!"

"I can't believe that Luna ratted us out," Kit grumbled.

"It wasn't her. It was that legacy brat Donovan that ratted us out," Dawn sniffed, giving the dark haired girl in the front roq a pointed glare.

"Who do you think he is?"

"Well, maybe Zabini? Or Shacklebot?"

"Isn't he the new Minister of Magic?" Carlos frowned, flipping through his notes.

"It's a two hour lecture a day. Fudge spent his days hang-dogging on the goings-on at Hogwarts, so honestly how busy could his day be?" Kit snorted.

"Shhh, he's writing his name out!"

All of the students leaned forward curiously as he picked up the piece of chalk and wrote his name out on the board. Dawn grinned from ear to ear.

"Holy crap, Dean Thomas is so hotter than the actor that played him on TV!" she practically squealed.

"Who do you think the girl is?" Carlos nodded toward the blonde.

"I have no clue. Lavender Brown maybe?"

"Didn't she die at the end of book seven?" Kit frowned.

"Morning, all. As you can read, I'm Dean Thomas. I know the council wanted just one special professor per week, but, eh, I hate leaving my wife all by herself when she's in this condition," Dean smirked, pulling the blonde up next to him. Her profile revealed that she was pregnant, at least six months along or so.

"Dean Thomas, I swear to Morgan Le Fay I am going to hex your arse off," the woman sputtered, glaring at him.

"Pansy Parkinson-Thomas, and no, she's not as mean a bitch as J.K. claimed her to be," Dean grinned broadly, pulling her closer to him. He winked in Dawn, Kit and Carlos direction. "Well, not all the time, anyway."


	21. Don't Say I Don't Know What I'm Talking

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Don't Say I Don't Know What I'm Talking About  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns Supernatural  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Knowing something doesnt make it fact.  
Words: 230  
A/N: _I Fought the Law_ verse.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

21. Don't Say I Don't Know What I'm Talking About

Kate had transferred to the small sheriffs department nearly two years ago and moonlighted as a waitress at her Aunt Ellens bar since then. She'd gotten out of L.A. and away from the demons and vampires that roamed the city unchecked. Only to find herself pulled back into it by inches. Harvelle's was a Demon Hunters bar. Sure, regular people came in there, but most of the patrons were hunters looking for information or help. Her uncle had been a hunter until his last hunt had gone south.

She had resisted the urge to join in on the hunts. With each growing tale, each spin of the web of death and destruction happening to innocent people it had gotten harder to resist. Her aunt had only glared at her and her little cousin Jo had only pouted when she'd made the decision to join a group of hunters that were tracking a demon that was cutting through humans like nobodies business.

But she wasn't prepared to fully enter the world where she had to cut down demons who didn't turn into something horribly grotesque and animalistic. The only difference was the pitch black eyes and an attitude shift. Three of the five hunters she'd gone with had been severely wounded, two had died.

She slammed down another shot her aunt had shoved in front of her. At least Aunt Ellen hadn't said 'I told you so'.


	22. Instead of Holding You I Was Holding Out

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Instead of Holding You I Was Holding Out  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, and he owns the Serenity crew.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Reincarnation for some, eternity for others  
Words: 556  
A/N: Because it kinda makes you a ghost

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

22. Instead of Holding You I Was Holding Out

Mal had reluctantly agreed to join up with crew of Jenkins' against his better judgment. Of course, cashy-money was the incentive and he had a crew what needed to be fed. So here he stood, looking mean with Zoe and Jayne on his left and right, waiting for their crew to step through the doors.

The first one through was a lanky young man, with short-cropped brown hair and dark eyes who looked ready for a fight. He was followed by a young woman who was nearly as tall has he was with long golden brown hair braided down her back. Her eyes were bright and her smile huge as she rushed past the man to throw her arms around Mal in a friendly welcome. River grinned down at her hiding spot with Simon, Kaylee and Inara. Mal looked distinctly uncomfortable, and the young man looked extremely hostile toward him.

"Damn, Reynolds, you are one tough dude to track down!" the woman squealed.

"Jenkins, get your wife off of me!" Mal looked panicked.

"Trust me, if I could I would. But you know how Dawn is," Jenkins sighed. "Clingy little squirrel that she is."

"Huh?" Jayne frowned, glancing between the girl and Jenkins.

"It took you long enough to contact us after what went down on Universe's moon, Malcolm!" Dawn Jenkins scolded, slapping his shoulder gently. "One minute you're waving us to run from the Alliance goons and the next everyone's watching some scientist chick admitting they made the Reavers and getting herself eaten up like -"

Dawn caught herself before she said what she was really thinking. But River knew - it had something to do with donuts and demons and Apocalypse season. But she smiled brightly and turned the subject away from the sad thoughts she was thinking.

"We appreciated the heads up, by the by," Jenkins said gruffly, his eyes adverting from them.

"And we're so sorry for your loss," Dawn said gently, looking at both Mal and Zoe, who stiffened noticeably. Wash's death still shook her to the core. "They were good men."

"You never met Book or Wash," Mal said quietly.

"Not when they were with your crew," Dawn sighed, "But we did cross paths once or twice. And we knew enough of them to know they were like kin to you all."

"What's this job you need help with?" Mal blurted out, trying desperately to change the subject.

"We've got a family issue of our own," Dawn sighed. "Distress call from - well, she was like an mother to me a long time ago, and Tierra needs us."

"Not Tierra but Tara," River called down, slipping from her hiding place to be seen and heard by the Jenkins'. "Just as Alexander became Ellis, Kendra became Cassia, and Jesse became Jahlil."

"What are you goin on about, lil albatross?" Mal muttered. Glancing back up at Simon, he yelled, "Is she off her meds again?"

"Holy crap! How did -" Dawn started to say before Jenkins cut her off.

"Oracle in the Serene Pose, Dawnie."

"Summers and Angel now called Jenkins for the demon saint of scorned women," River murmured.

"What's she sayin?" Jayne demanded.

"Our maiden names," Dawn bluffed.

"No, Dawn Summers and Connor Angel, not maiden - Earth-That-Was names," River smiled. "And we will help their families out."

"We will?"


	23. Given You Every Part of Me

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Given You Every Part of Me  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns SPN, Rhimes owns GA  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Dream a little dream of a slayer long lost  
Words: 600  
A/N: a wrap up of the Coping Mechanisms verse...kinda.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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23. Given You Every Part of Me

"You would do so well in this life, Sam Winchester," the odd accent hit him from all angles as he fought his way through the maze that had sprung up in his dream. "Dean would not. He's only just come to grips with his acceptance."

Sam tried to talk as the pretty young woman stepped easily from the darkness, swathed in the brightest white gown he'd ever seen. She touched his brow gently, her fingers so warm they felt bitingly cold to the touch. A calm spread over him like something he'd never possibly felt.

"Sam Winchester, son of Mary Campbell-Winchester and John Winchester, brother to Dean Winchester. Tainted with Azazel's blood and made stronger for it. You are so much like them, Vi and Lexie. They carry the demon's taint as well."

"Who are you?" The words felt heavy and hard to push from his throat.

"Kendra. She who came after Buffy-the-slayer-maker and preceded Faith-the-rogue-who-sought-redemption. Slain by Drusilla, and she who will never rise again."

"I don't understand why I'm seeing you here, now. I'm already their watcher -"

"Because, great forces are about to arise in the Midwest, and you're going to be forced to choose, Sam."

"Choose what?"

"Not what, who," Kendra looked sad and burdened. "Your girls - or your brother."

Sam jerked up in his bed, sweat beading against his clammy skin. Lexie was curled up on their spare bed, while Vi was missing from theirs. In the months they had been together, Lexie had become his little sister and Vi the woman who had meant something more.

"We're looking for Sam Winchester, this his room?" a familiar and long gone voice demanded from the doorway.

"Who are you?" Vi's voice answered.

"Dean?"

"Dean - as in-" Vi murmured from beside him.

His brother and Bobby stood in the doorway, alive and whole. His hand went immediately to the table by the bed and the flask he kept there. He threw the contents in Dean's face and muttered Cristo under his breath. All it made his brother was wet.

"Dammit, Sammy, I'm not a damn demon!"

"Don't you think I already tested him that way, boy?" Bobby muttered from behind them.

"How - how are you alive?" Sam breathed, rushing forward to hug his brother.

"I don't know, but I am. Damn, its good to see you, Sam."

"Sam, Vi, what's going on?" Lexie asked, waking for the first time, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Dean's eyes went wide as he took the two women in for the first time and Sam's state of undress. A wide and oddly proud grin crossed his lips.

"Damn, Sammy, you got kinky while I was gone," Dean smirked.

"Its not like that, Dean!"

"And I am so totally not part of that line-up. He just watches me," Lexie sighed, sounding a bit sad.

"Really kinky. Awkward."

"Huh? Oh, so not like that! Sam's my Watcher. You know, research and trainer man? Part of the International Watchers Council? To help all the Slayers."

"Dammnit, Sam, what the hell did you sign up with?" Bobby snapped, anger in his eyes.

But Sam wasn't paying him any attention, because Vi had gone deathly still and quiet. When her eyes met his, the confident slayer that had contacted him months ago was gone. In her place was a scared young woman who didn't know what this meant for their future together. Because Dean had and always would be his one vulnerable spot, and even she knew there was a choice coming that no one would like the outcome of at all.


	24. Completely

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Completely  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff & Firefly, Kripke owns SPN, Henson owns Labyrinth.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: The Wished Away  
Words: 411  
A/N: Wished Away duo.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

24. Completely

Dawn groaned as she pushed herself up off the hard packed dirt floor of the cell she was in. The creepy cell she was definitely not alone in. Two forms were huddled in opposite corners, the smaller one shivering slightly.

"Hello? Do you know where we are?" Dawn called out tentatively.

"Dancing babies and goblin kings, and only one girl had defeated him ever - but we are not Sarah. We are the goblins in the making," a dark haired girl - the smaller of the two forms, apparently - answered.

"Huh?"

"Some demon king kidnapped us and is torturing us with singing and threats to shove us in the Bog of Eternal Stench," the larger masculine form answered. Dawn glanced over at him. He was fricken tall! And cute, to boot.

"A goblin king! Jareth!" the other girl snapped, sounding stronger than she had a moment ago. "She could not fight them. They were more tenacious than the Reavers."

"I didn't try to fight them," Dawn muttered in confusion. "What are Reavers?"

"She's talking about herself," the guy muttered. "River doesn't talk about herself in the first person. River only refers to herself in the third person. River has been getting on Sam's nerves."

"Sam sees too much, too much than his small Earth-that-was world will allow. That is why Dean wished him away."

"Yeah, and why did Simon wish _you_ away, River?" Sam snapped angrily.

"Simon wanted to be normal. He wanted to be the great doctor he could have if he didn't have to save his little sister. If he hadn't had to save me."

Each of the prisoners in the cell was quiet, each thinking of the sacrafices their own sibling had made for them. Dawn thought of how Buffy had died for her, Sam of how Dean had made the deal with the crossroads demon and had one year left to live because of him, and River of how Simon had given up his career and comfortable life for her.

"Such sad, same fates we have," River murmured quietly. "We are the Toby to our older siblings Sarah. Dawnie Summers, Sammy Winchester and River Tam, too."

"How did you know my name?" Dawns head jerked up.

"She's pyschic. She knows nearly everything," Sam sighed.

"Then maybe she should tell the great goblin king Jareth that my sister is so going to kick his ass if I don't get to him first," Dawn huffed.

"He already knows."


	25. No One Comes Near

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: No One Comes Near  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kriple owns SPN  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Chance meetings and odd outcomes.  
Words: 660  
A/N: I Fought the Law verse. Set end of season one beginning of season two.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

25. No One Comes Near

Over the years, Kate tried to pull herself out of the bar, letting Ash take over her room in the back and moving into her own house a few miles away. She let Jo crash with her when she got in one of her many fights with her mother, and only ran the bar when Ellen needed to be out of town and away from hunters for a little while. But for the most part she was not part of the hunting aspect. Not anymore.

But there were certain hunters she could never forget from her few cover shifts at the bar. Like John Winchester. He was a good looking man, and if Ellen hadn't told her in advance that he had two grown boys, she'd have never believed it. He'd come looking for Ellen, and realizing she wasn't there, hed proceeded to down more drinks than Ash. She'd given him a hard time about drinking too much, and then he'd turned those sad eyes on her. She lost her mind for a few hours after closing time. She'd wound up pregnant, too.

Of course she'd never told anyone who the father was, and not one of the patrons in the bar that night had ever returned to put two and two together. Jo had thought she was crazy for keeping the baby, and Ellen had worried about her. She'd even tried to get Kate to move back in. Like that was gonna happen. What if John should come back?

A little more than a year later, Kate found herself back behind the bar when Bobby Singer had come in. She'd seen him a few times when he stopped to get info from Ellen or Ash over the years she'd been living with or near the bar.

"Kate," Bobby had nodded.

"Hey, Bobby. You want your usual?" Kate smiled at him.

"I need to talk to Ellen, she around?"

"No, she and Jo are at each others throats at home. I'm covering just until the baby wakes up."

"How old is -"

"Eight months. I got a picture if you wanna see it."

A sad smile crossed his lips, and Kate wondered if he was thinking about the family he could of have if his wife hadn't been killed. She also wondered at how she had come to this in four short years. A doting mother who worked in a Mayberry-esque police station and tended bar on the odd weekend. She wondered if her father would be proud or disappointed. Probably a bit of both. Bobby nodded and Kate dutifully fished out the picture from her back pocket.

"Just took it last week. Isn't she something?" Kate smiled.

"That's little Marianna? God, she got big."

"Yeah, she's gonna be eating me out of house and home soon."

"You got charms, iron and salt around her room?"

"I've got protection charms around the house and hanging from her mobile. I'm not letting anything happen to my girl," Kate said fiercely, taking the picture back from her. "You want a drink while you wait for Ellen to come back?"

"No. I gotta get a move on. Tell her I've got some news about John Winchester and his boys, will ya?"

"Uh - yeah, sure. Will do."

"Take care of that little angel, Katie," Bobby smiled, pushing himself away from the counter.

"Will do, Bobby."

And she did. Which is why she moved away from the bar, transferred to another station and took her charms and baby away from anywhere John Winchester might come through in that rattletrap truck of his that their little girl had been conceived in. Because she knew she'd lose everything - her aunt, her cousin, maybe even her daughter - if he knew they had little Marianna. Because he would do anything to protect his children. And he might decided she wasnt good enough to be Marianna's mother, and that was one thing she just couldn't live with.


	26. You Got Me So I Can't Sleep at Night

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: You Got Me So I Can't Sleep at Night  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, owns  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Somethings nagging at them.  
Words: 697  
A/N: Because I could not resist. Last in the Guest Lecturer set.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

26. You Got Me So I Can't Sleep at Night

The third week of classes started out pretty much as Kit, Dawn and Carlos had expected once they realized who the lecturer was. Percy Weasley lived up to a lot to their expectations. His lectures, while interesting were by the book and just a bit predictable. Unlike the lecture halls given by Dean Thomas and Luna Lovegood-Longbottom - who'd laughed at the mention of Rowling's dogged determination that Luna was just too spacey for poor Neville to deal with - there was a decided staidness to his lectures.

The three younger watchers were so busy copying their notes down that they barely noticed the dark-haired woman who'd sat near them during the week. Dawn glanced over once, shocked to see that she didn't have a computer or notebook in front of her. She wore a loosely woven, tight fitting chocolate brown sweater with a white tank top on underneath and a pair of dark blue jeans. Her arms were crossed, nails tapping on her arm and she was frowning at Percy Weasley.

"For her sake, I so hope we don't have a quiz today," Dawn muttered to Kit, nodding in the woman's direction.

"Who is she?"

"Nobody interesting," the woman snorted, her accent giving her away as British. She rolled her eyes at the three of them before jerking her hand up in the air.

The three looked at each other in shock and confusion. Percy glanced up, his voice trailing off as he noticed the woman with her hand up. His face paled and then instantly reddened. He cleared his throat and then spoke.

"Yes, Mi - miss?" Percy stuttered. He cleared his throat again. "Did you have a question on the topic we're discussing?"

"No, not really."

"O-oh. Then on a _relevant_ topic?"

"Oh, its relevant all right, mate."

There were a couple of shocked gasps at her informal addressing of their professor. She only smirked, which made Percy pull on his sleeve.

"Do go on," he said tightly.

"It's on the subject of your defection in the novels. Lots of folks think its cause you were a twat."

"That's not relevant to the discussion of the restoration of the Wizarding World post the second war against Voldemort, Mi - miss."

"Rowling, that fool woman, said you did it just for a job with good money to drag yourself out of poverty. Nobody thinks you did it as part of Dumbledore's plot to learn what Death Eaters working in the Ministry were up to."

"Actually," Kit broke in, pulling the stares of both professor and the woman toward her. "Actually, a _lot_ of fanfic writers jumped on that bandwagon just after book five. I mean, you can't imagine the amount of superspy Percy and Snape fics are out there!"

Dawn and Carlos glared at her in horror while the others glanced between their professor and the woman. The woman only smirked at her, and gave her a grateful wink. Kit blushed and sunk deeper into her seat.

"Despite what Miss - Holburn, is it? - pointed out, no one likes to believe that the character of Percy was anything but a boring, self-serving, family abandoning twat. It makes Mrs. Weasley more sympathetic and helps humanize -"

"Oh, stuff what Rowling wrote, Percy! Just man up and tell the nice kiddies you really were that superspy already! For the love of Merlin, man, you cannot suffer in silence any more. I am so sick of being taunted by that bastard Malfoy for shagging a bloodtraitor!"

"Millicent! In the hall, now!" Percy snapped.

Kit squeaked as he stormed out of the room, waiting for Millicent to join him. Her eyes widened as a full-fledged grin broke out on Millicent's face. She'd risen from her seat before Kit found her tongue.

"Ohmigod, you're Millicent Bulstrode, aren't you?" Kit gasped.

"Yeah. Seems your fanfic people got a few things right that dear Ms. Rowling didn't."

"Oh, I so knew that interhouse angst was UST in disguise!" Kit giggled.

"Millicent!" Percy snapped again, glaring at her.

"Oh, I'm coming!" Millicent snapped back, stomping down the steps and out the door.

"Kit?" Dawn asked a minute later.

"Yeah?"

"Who's Millicent Bulstrode again?"


	27. I Could Take the Fire Out From the Wild

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: If I Could Take the Fire Out From the Wild  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, RTD owns Newest Doctor  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Learning.  
Words: 199  
A/N: Ten and Donna - not because I don't love Martha and Rose, but because Donna is the most opinionated of them. And I kinda love her for that. Jhiera appeared early in season one of Angel in the episode She. She was played by Bai Ling. Which if you do the whole six degrees of Buffyverse/Buffy& Angel actors insanity that I tend to do with all my shows/movies/commercials - there's one degree other than the Angel episode - both she and SMG were in Southland Tales.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

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27. If I Could Take the Fire Out From the Wild

The man in the great blue box had been the first to treat her as an equal, even if he did bring a strange obstinate female with him that insisted that the females of Oden Tal not be so obedient. She fought and argued so much with her male, the Doctor that Jhiera's father had insisted he leave them immediately. But Jhiera had seen his great blue box, and learned the secret to escaping her own unmaking. The Doctor, being unable to do what she herself must do for all her sisters alone, had aided her escape and the beginning of her revolution without realizing it.

Jhiera would later come to realize that the Doctor, in his infinite wisdom had set out to do that all along. What had seemed inarticulate bumbling on his behalf and that of his companion, had been calculated. Clues set out before to her to lead her to her freedom and that of her sisters. They would be her first steps into trusting males again - even if she could not trust the males from Oden Tal, she still could learn again to trust others. Because that was what the Doctor did. He taught.


	28. Ancient Bruises

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Ancient Bruises  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse & Firefly, Kripke owns SPN, Henson owns Labryinth  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: The Wishers, the Dreamers and Me.  
Words: 775  
A/N: Wished Away duo completed. And yes, I jacked the summary from the Muppet Movie. I was actually singing Moving Right Along at work the other day. Bizarre. But a nice change from Thriller - which I heard about seventy times during the last week alone at work.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

28. Ancient Bruises

Jareth's beautiful crazily designed Goblin Castle was in ruins. His devious and immortal henchmen were the walking wounded because of numerous stakings, shootings and beatings. And his stolen children were gloating at him and helping in the siege of his castle from the inside! And to make it worse, his queen was gloating, and her pathetic human half-brother was laughing at him.

"This is not amusing, Sarah," Jareth glared.

"Yeah, well, that's what you get when you cross-dimensionally kidnap the siblings of a hunter, a slayer and a doctor who are determined to do everything in their power to save them, Jareth. Did you think grown siblings would actually wish their siblings away when they obviously love them so much?" Sarah sighed, leaning forward to smile at her husband and consort.

"Yeah, Jay, not everyone is as pathetic as a fifteen year old who's adjusting to a new family and wishes her poor innocent baby brother away when he obviously had nothing to do with the whole new family issue," Toby laughed, juggling two of Jareth's crystal orbs carelessly.

"All right, you evil goblin son of a bitch! Get your pasty tights wearing ass down here and give me my brother back!" Dean Winchester shouted up from the drawbridge.

"I'm sure taunting him is going to draw him out, Dean," Jareth could practically hear Simon Tam's eyes roll at Dean's theatrical tactics.

"Well, reasoning with the insane Goblin King has worked so well in our favor so far, Doc," Buffy Summers snapped.

"There's nothing reasonable about this, Buffy!" Simon returned angrily. "A person cannot be dragged away through time and space by a man proclaiming to be a Goblin King."

"Is this jackass still going on about that?" Dean groaned.

"As much as it pains me to agree with him, Dean's got a point. The guy took our siblings!"

Jareth hung his head in pain as the bickering and beating and shooting and staking continued. And the laughing and mocking. Sarah and Toby began eating bowls of popcorn as the three at the drawbridge went on and on.

"So, who's winning in the idiot contest?" A voice spoke from behind them.

Jareth turned to glare at the three prisoners that had broken out of their prison long ago and had fought their way up to his throne room. Sarah and Toby smiled and waved at them. River sat playing jacks with one of his younger minions. The other two had made their way over to where Toby and Sarah sat watching their siblings argue and fight.

"It's gotta be Dean," Sam Winchester answered Dawn's question.

"Oh, he wins on the ass end of it, but the stubborn portion has got to be on Buffy," Dawn sighed.

"Actually, Simon's instance on mass hallucination verges on stubbornness, don't you think?" River called from the ground.

"So, basically, its pretty evenly tied," Sarah laughed.

"Why did you even take us? I mean, its obvious that they're gonna bring the whole place down," Sam asked, frowning at Jareth.

"And if not them, then we definitely would. Which score one for the babies of the families," Dawn laughed.

"Its because I'm on bed rest," Sarah smirked at her husband. Her hand rested on her distended belly.

"He's bored and frustrated. And disgustingly horny as hell, if that codpiece is anything to judge by," Toby shuddered. River and Dawn glanced down pointedly at it, while Sam made a disgusted face and looked hastily away.

Jareth glowered at his brother-in-law and used his magic to send the three prisoners down to their siblings. After hearing the shocked cries of the siblings, he tossed his three orbs at them and quickly sent them all packing home. Sarah snorted in amusement and Toby laughed again.

"I'm really beginning to hate the modern Americans."

"Aw, but you do love this modern American," Sarah teased gently, taking his hand and placing it on her belly. "The frustration will be worth it once the baby's born."

"Naw, he'll probably still be frustrated for a few months after," Toby laughed again, until Jareth threw another orb at him and sent him home as well.

"Jareth!"

"You're lucky I didn't turn him into a goblin," Jareth grumbled, kissing his wife's brow.

"Don't you mean you're lucky you didn't turn him into a goblin? Otherwise youd' be stuck with him all the time instead of on family visits." Sarah smiled. "You really should have trapped Sam and Dawn, and Buffy and Dean in two oubliettes."

"Is that why you had me pick those four? So you could matchmake?"

"Hey, you're not the only one who's frustrated over this pregnancy, mister!"


	29. Kick Your Fears

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: Kick Your Fears  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff , owns  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Working with the lesson.  
Words: 337  
A/N: Second in the Princess of Oden Tal duo.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

29. Kick Your Fears

The males had stopped chasing her band of sisters long enough for them to flee the states. Jhiera had been pulled toward Los Angeles because of their obvious ignorance and acceptance of those that were different than them. But there was too much warmth and heat that added to her struggle for control. They had sought colder climes that could open the portals properly. Cardiff, a place teeming with energy like that of L.A.'s and the Doctor's great blue box thrummed through her body. Jhiera stood still, waiting for the portal to bring her another of her sisters. They had lucked out here in Cardiff. The males could not track them here. Not yet anyway.

"Funny, I thought you looked familiar," an deep American accented voice cut through her concentration.

"I have no time for your lines," Jhiera gave him a cold look that often drew off unwanted attention.

"Not safe for a demon of Oden Tal to be out unescorted. Not in Cardiff anyway," the man continued.

Jhiera's spine stiffened and she felt her power shift, tensing at both his presence and the tensing of the portal opening. The man continued to circle her.

"Odd, the strange little cracks in time and space that keep opening here, just enough for a female to slip through the cracks but not a male. Of course, anyone who purposely lobotomizes powerful beautiful women like those from Oden Tal are just asses and generally not welcome in my city."

"Who are you?" Jhiera demanded, some of her tension slipping away.

"Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood. And you?"

"Jhiera, daughter to the king of Oden Tal."

"A rebel princess, very sexy. Helping your sisters flee?"

"We have not killed any human males since we left Los Angeles. We have been most careful about that. But you should go now, before your presence makes me a liar."

"As long as you don't open up the wrong rip in time and space or hurt innocents, you can live however you want, Princess."

"Thank you."


	30. But It's Still a Fight

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: But It's Still a Fight  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse stuff, Kripke owns SPN, I own Marianna.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: Winchester meets Lockley. And theyve all got Daddy issues.  
Words: 697  
A/N: Final part of the I Fought the Law verse.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

30. But It's Still a Fight

Kate had driven all night to get to the bar. Something in her dreams had scared her, and she didn't scare easily. Not after everything she'd seen and lived through. So she'd bundled little Marianna in the car and had sped out from her house. She'd pushed through the doors, Marianna in her arms to see the frantic face she'd been looking for.

"Hey, you can't have a baby in a bar!" someone yelled.

"I'm a cop, I can do whatever the hell I want to!" Kate snapped back, hugging Marianna closer.

"Kate, I can't get a hold of them! I - I - Ash or Mom should have picked up by now, Kate," Jo sobbed, grabbing on to her cousin.

"It's okay, take a deep breath, Jo. Did you try your mom's cell phone?"

"Sixteen times, Kate. I'm not being hysterical. Ash sounded scared when I talked to him last time. He said he'd been working on something for the Winchesters -"

"John?" Alarm spiked through her.

"John Winchester? Kate, didn't you hear he died?"

"He's dead?"

"Almost a year now. Ash had some info for Sam and Dean, his sons. And after Sam was possessed couple months back, they've been trying to get a fix on the demon that killed their mom. Ash's working on it for them."

"Get in the car, Jo."

"What?"

"We're going to the bar to check up on them."

Kate lost count of the hours. She was praying to any god that was listening that everything was all right. Ellen and Ash and all the others were going to be just fine, like they always were. It was hours later when her world came crashing down for the second time in the last twenty-four hours.

Harvelle's was gone, replaced by a lump of burnt wreckage and hazard flags. A makeshift memorial had been erected in the last hours or days since it had burnt. Jo raced to the wreckage, a sob tearing through her. Kate felt frozen. Too late, again. Too late to save the woman who'd taken her in when her world had caved in.

"Jo, baby? What - Kate?" Ellen's voice rung out behind them.

A sob escaped her lips as she whirled around to see Ellen, Bobby and two younger hunters behind them. They looked horrible, like they'd fought their way through the night. Jo raced over to her mother, arms thrown around her.

"Mama, I thought -"

"Where's Ash?" Kate asked, watching the guilt and sorrow race over their faces.

"He didn't get out. No one did." Bobby sighed.

"Demon?"

"Oh, he's long since dead, sweetheart," the blonder and slightly shorter man groaned.

"The demon that killed your mom did this?" Jo demanded of him. "And you killed him or exorcised him?"

"Shot him with the Colt. Old yellow eyes is never coming back."

"Good."

"The Winchesters? Sam and Dean?" Kate asked thickly. The fear closed her throat.

"Yeah, what about it?" Dean - if her guess was right - asked.

"Where's Mari, Kate?" Ellen cut her reply off.

"Mary?" Dean winced.

"Marianna. My daughter," Kate murmured.

"And John Winchester's baby girl," Ellen sighed.

"What?" Jo, Sam and Dean yelled.

"How -"

"Katie, me and Ellen spotted it long ago. Plus you lit out a here the second I mentioned John's name," Bobby grunted.

"I - can't - I couldn't risk her. And I never wanted to hurt anyone. God, that sounds clichéd," Kate groaned. "I should go."

"And just leave us with this bombshell?" Dean shouted, stepping between her and her escape.

"I should go and get my daughter out of the backseat. We left her there when we saw the wreckage," Kate ground out.

He let her pass. As Kate stood with her hand on the door of her car, she realized she had two choices. She could have faith in herself and her family - however extended it became - or she could run again. She sighed as she adjusted the blanket around little Marianna. The toddler rested her little blonde head against her mother's shoulder and looked up sleepily at the two men who were her brothers. Kated opted for faith. Again.


	31. To Wherever You Are

Series Title: 31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three  
Part Title: To Wherever You Are  
Author: Jmaria  
Rating: FR-15  
Disclaimer: I own nothing, Joss owns the Buffyverse, Lewis owns Narnia, Walden owns the new imaginings, RTD owns the Whoverse, Spielberg and Lucas own Indyverse.  
Series Summary: Thirty-one experiments in insanity with a Halloween month theme, er, take three.  
Part Summary: A saddened old Watcher comes to train the new initiates of the Watchers council and to reconcile with her son.  
Spoilers: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, Journeys End of Series 4 (very slight), and Disney/Waldens _Prince Caspian_, Kingdom for Indy.  
Words: 1513  
A/N: Part of the PnC Verse. Another unknown entity. And because I feel bad for poor Susan. Also, fudging a bit on the ages.  
A/N 2: Started out as a super simple Narnia/Buffyverse, and morphed into battle of the multi connected verse. Go figure. I kinda made her life worse a bit.

**__**

31 Nights of Frights, Chapter Three

__

31. To Wherever You Are

An older woman sat just beyond the crowd of warriors, watching as they grew in numbers. She had not wanted any more to do with the Council since her husband's initiation into it, and since the pressure had begun to grow on poor Rupert. Her only son, as lost to her as those she'd lost as a young woman, sat across from her, his eyes not really looking at her. No one really looked at her anymore. She was a silly old woman who might as well be dead. An orphan, widow and an absentee mother thought long dead.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" The younger woman asked, a hand resting gently on her shoulder.

She wasn't supposed to be there, because there was another representation of her traveling companion within the confines of the auditorium. But then, that man was always good at breaking the rules. She could remember, because she herself was good at breaking rules.

"Susan? No, that can't be - but it is! What're you doing here, in a Californian college?" the young dark haired man said from beside the young blonde woman.

"Watching, as I have for many years, Doctor. Watching out for the signs, like you once taught me to, like the true king once did," Susan said sadly, her eyes drifting to the oldest man in the group of much younger people.

"Susan Pevensie -"

"Susan Giles, now, Doctor. I've grown and married and lost everything that connected me to that name. I got fond of lipsticks," a rueful smile crossed her lips. "Does Sarah Jane still have my old tube?"

"She knew Sarah Jane? She's another companion? Did he say Pevensie?"

"I knew of her, and we've met in passing on a very long walk, but we've never spoken. In fact, you're the first companion of his that I've had a chance to speak with, Rose Tyler. The Doctor helped me once, long ago when I was very lost. And yes, Pevensie was my maiden name."

"Not the _Narnia_ Pevensies?" Rose gasped, her eyes got wide.

"You've been?"

"We broke down there once. For half a minute," the Doctor shrugged. "The true king doesn't care much for Time Lords."

"You're too old to venture back across the green fields of Narnia, I suppose. No matter how young the face is," Susan smiled sadly. "And you, Doctor, are crossing timelines, as you should not. I've already spoken with other Doctors, and another Rose Tyler."

"What?"

"You're the last, and you cannot stay for long. Spoilers," Susan sighed. "This room is full of them."

Susan did not add that it had been his 9th regeneration and Rose, or his current regeneration - one with Martha Jones, one with Donna Noble, and one that was very much alone. The Doctor, like her, just couldn't seem to hold on to people.

__

"We have, and we will lose everyone until we're very much alone," the last Doctor had said to her.

"I've been wondering how it would have been had Lucy, Edmund and Peter grown up? Would I have given up Rupert so easily if they were here? Would they be married with grandchildren now? Would Eustace and Jill have married? The Professor and Polly? Would I have stayed in Narnia with Caspian, and made a go of it?" She'd asked tearfully before the ceremony had ever begun. How odd they must have looked, an old woman being held by a young man.

"Little Rupert's here now, why not make good on what time you've got left? Make sure he gives you grandkids."

"Susan?"

"Go on now, Doctor. You've got some running to catch up on, I'm quite sure."

The Doctor only nodded, but he had that curious gleam in his eye as she turned him away, assuring her that those four visits would be coming yet for him and had already come for her. She sighed as she turned back to where her boy was with his oldest slayers and watchers. It was long past time she did this. She wasn't sure how much time she had left. It felt like years, but she couldn't be sure. She'd thought her cousin and siblings and friends would have many years ahead of them, and they'd been snuffed out like candles in their youth. Except for the Professor and Polly, of course.

"Giles, what are we supposed to do with all these non-Council/associates who got caught in the crossfire? We can't hijack their personal lives and make em come with us!" Buffy Summers seethed at Rupert.

"It isn't hijacking if they chose to participate in the battle," Susan said loudly, shocking the much younger crowd with her appearance. "They chose to stand and fight, and are thus accepting of the consequences. If they had run, they'd have no say at all."

"Who are you?" Buffy demanded, staring at her as if she saw the resemblance to someone she knew.

"She's Mrs. Susan Giles," Rupert breathed.

"Uh, she's not like your wife - is she?" Xander Harris offered nervously.

"No. She's my mother."

"You have a mother? That's still alive?" Xander cried.

"And we're just now meeting her? Or even hearing about her?"

"I thought she was dead," Rupert's jaw tightened painfully.

"I ran when I saw what your grandmother and father were planning for you, and I never should have. The Council was becoming corrupted even then, and it frightened me like only one thing before. I never meant to leave you with them and if I could, I would go back and change things. We haven't the time to brand me a horrible mother and coward. But there are things we need to discuss that are vitally important and you need those children down there, Rupert."

Rose Tyler watched on the monitor before the Doctor pulled the Tardis away from the broom closet it was hiding in and out into space. The Doctor snapped off the monitor.

"I was watching that, you know," Rose gave him a little glare, not really meaning it.

"Spoilers."

"What happened to her? She looked so sad."

"Lost her entire family when she was too sick to go on a family visit with them. Her brothers, her sister, parents, a cousin, and three family friends died in a train crash when she was still a teenager, bit younger than you, I reckon. Met up with me about two years later, in the early fifties when she was attacked by some creatures. She traveled with me, and a young American fellow we picked up a few years in her future. He meant something to her, but he had a family waiting for him, parents and a younger sibling. She had nobody, but one day she got too reckless even for me back then. I had to wipe a bit of that from her mind, that sadness. Married a nice enough bloke when she came back to her time, had an overbearing mother-in-law who worked in some not-so-nice company, along with her husband. The young girl in her husband's care died, and he changed, got jaded."

"She's not with him anymore obviously. She left him?"

"Left the job, left the man, left the mother, left her son."

"Wait, she _left _her _son_?"

"Wasn't strong enough to take care of him on her own. Always meant to go back, but by then, her husband'd declared her dead to her son, and had divorced her in secret. As long as her husband and his mother lived, they used their connections to keep her far away from her son. As far as Rupert was concerned, his mummy was dead."

"What happened then?"

"Well," the Doctor took a deep breath before continuing. "She found that American bloke, Mutt. He was about five years younger than her, but age didn't matter much to them. Married him about six months after that and had three children."

"Then why is she so sad?"

"Her oldest daughter, Thalia died when she was sixteen. Her husband Mutt died about six months ago, and her son Henry Jones, IV is too busy with work and his family to meet up with his mum more than three times a year. Their youngest daughter Bryony ran off and married a nasty bloke. Bryony's youngest daughter Lucy got frighteningly strong about five years ago and accidentally sent the abusive father into a coma. She ran away and found her grandparents, and Susan found herself a grandmother and mother all over again. Lucy should be a part of the organization Susan's first husband worked in, and that her son now runs. Lucy needs the discipline it can provide, but Susan's seen the old reign a bit too closely for comfort."

"God, that's so sad."

"Yeah, and she'll be dead in a year."

"What?"

"Once Lucy's safe with her half-uncle, and Susan makes her amends to her sons and rescues her daughter, she passes away after meeting her oldest son's future wife. They name their only daughter after her."

"How does she die?"

"On a train. Aneurysm. And she hears her siblings and Mutt, and a lions roar."


End file.
